Drink-driver followed home after near-miss

An unemployed mechanic who drove home when more than four times the drink-drive limit was followed home by an off-duty police officer who watched on as he took 20 minutes to find his front door keys.

Jason Pritchard had been drinking at The Cat pub in Wordsley before heading home in the early hours in his parents' car. But he almost collided with the officer as he left the car park, Dudley Magistrates Court heard.

The officer followed 36-year-old Pritchard to his home in Barnett Lane, Kingswinford.

Pritchard, who was driving a Peugeot VRM, almost collided with a second vehicle coming in the opposite direction and was seen driving down the middle of the road in the incident at about 12.30pm, said Mr David Truelove, prosecuting.

When he reached his home, where he lives with his parents, he was "moving the car backwards and forwards" trying to reverse onto the drive.

Mr Truelove said: "The officer then watched the defendant and saw him spend a full 20 minutes — and she counted — trying to open the front door."

Pritchard was so drunk that he did not even require a roadside breath test", said Mr Truelove.

Pritchard, an unemployed mechanic who previously worked at Kwik Fit in Halesowen, had 146 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath when he was tested on April 4. The legal drink-drive limit is 35 microgrammes.

Pritchard, who admitted drink driving, was given a 12-month community order and must carry out 300 hours of unpaid work. He was also banned from driving for 30 months.

Chairman of magistrates, Mr Michael Penn, said: "A custodial sentence could have been imposed but, taking into account your previous record and your remorse, we will make a community order."

Mr Jahangeer Aslam, defending, said Pritchard could not remember being at the pub and had reacted badly to finding out his partner was having an affair.